varies widely and is closely related to local culture, religion and climate.
Traditional Indian clothing for women are the sari or the salwar kameez and also Ghaghra Cholis
(Lehengas). For men, traditional clothes are the Dhoti, Lungi, or Kurta. Bombay, also known as Mumbai, is
one of India's fashion capitals. In some village parts of India, traditional clothing mostly will be worn. In
southern India the men wear long, white sheets of cloth called dhoti in English and veshti in Tamil. Over the
dhoti, men wear shirts, t-shirts, or anything else Woman wear a sari, a long sheet of colourful cloth with
patterns. This is draped over a simple or fancy blouse. This is worn by young ladies and woman. Little girls
wear a pavada. A pavada is a long skirt worn under a blouse. Both are often gaily patterned. Bindi is part of
the women's make-up. Indo-western clothing is the fusions of Western and Subcontinental fashion.
Churidar, Dupatta, Gamchha, Kurta, Mundum Neriyathum, Sherwani are among other clothes.
Women's Clothing
The traditional style of clothing in India varies with male or female distinctions. This is still followed in the
rural areas, though is changing in the urban areas. Girls before puberty wear a long skirt (called
langa/paawada in Andhra) and a short blouse, called a choli, on top of it. Teenage girls wear half-sarees, a
three piece set comprising of a langa, a choli and a stole wrapped over it like a saree. Women usually wear
full sarees.
This painting by Raja Ravi Varma depicts several traditional styles of draping the sari
A saree or shari is a female garment in the Indian subcontinent. A sari is a strip of unstitched cloth, ranging
from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. The most common style is
for the sari to be wrapped around the waist, with one end then draped over the shoulder baring the
midriff. The sari is usually worn over a petticoat (pavada/pavadai in the south, and shaya in eastern India),
with a blouse known as a choli or ravika forming the upper garment. The choli has short sleeves and a low
neck and is usually cropped, and as such is particularly well-suited for wear in the sultry South Asian
summers. Cholis may be "backless" or of a halter neck style. These are usually more dressy with a lot of
embellishments such as mirrors or embroidery and may be worn on special occasions. Women in the
armed forces, when wearing a sari uniform, don a half-sleeve shirt tucked in at the waist.
The salwar kameez is another form of popular dress for females. It consists of loose trousers (the salwar)
topped by a long loose shirt (the kameez). It is often mispronounced as "salwar kameez" or simply "salwar".
It originates from the Muslim invaders from Turkey and Afghanistan. For a long time it was considered a
"Muslim dress" but now has become popular all across India, as well as other South Asian countries. Due to
its Muslim origin, it is very common in Pakistan and Afganistan. It is commonly worn with a narrow scarf
called a dupatta, which is used to cover the head. The salwar kameez is most common in the northwestern
part of India.
Girls wearing Gagra choli
The women of Rajasthan and Gujarat often wear colorful swirling skirts called lehenga, paired with a short
bodice called a choli. If they must cover their heads, they do so with bright veils called odhani. Popular
among unmarried women other than salwar kameez are Gagra choli and Langa oni.
Nowadays many of them have started wearing trousers and t-shirts as a result of the influence of
westernisation.
Men's clothing
The most common male attire consists of the dhoti and kurta, worn in most of the western and central
regions. A sherwani is typically worn for special occasions, particularly in North India. Pakistani men wear
salwar kameez, often in plain white cotton, and top the kameez with a dark waistcoat. The lungi (a type of
wrap-around garment) is worn in many parts of India, but depending on the social practices of the region it
may be restricted to indoor-wear only.
A kurta is a traditional item of clothing worn in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It is
a loose shirt falling either just above or somewhere below the knees of the wearer, and is worn by both
men and women. They were traditionally worn with loose-fitting paijama (kurta-paijama), loose-fitting
salwars, tight-fitting churidars, or wrapped-around dhotis; but are now also worn with jeans. Kurtas are
worn both as casual everyday wear and as formal dress. Both men and woman wore shalwar kamezez.
They are made for women usually but men wear it too. The mens' are usually not as colorful as the
womens'.
Modern fashion in India
Many aspects of Western fashion have become common among Indian men, particularly in the professional
community. Horizontal stripes and plaids are common on casual business shirts, particularly among Indians
in North America. Owing to growth of women empowerment and influence of western culture, nowadays
most of the teen and adult girls in cities wear low hip jeans, low neck tops, tight jean trousers with salwar,
half trousers, sleeveless T shirts etc. Women who hail from rural villages usually wear frocks and half
sarees; boys normally wear a shirt and pants, whether formally or casually.
The most accepted formal dressing for couples in formal occasions like parties and weddings is saree for
the ladies and formal pants and shirts with suits in the winter for the men. While one is utterly ethnic and
Indian the latter is very western and out of India.
